Veteran achieves goal, plays taps at 132 national cemeteries

Veteran Vaughn Roberts plays Taps and hymns at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell on Thursday Dec. 6, 2012. Roberts has played at the cemetery for the past three years on the same day, and it was also the second stop for Taps for Troops-- his personal journey to play taps at all 132 National Veterans Affairs Cemeteries across the United States and 25 additional sites including memorials and battlefields.

Jacqui Janetzko/Staff Photographer

By Jacqui JanetzkoCorrespondent

Published: Saturday, December 29, 2012 at 7:52 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, December 29, 2012 at 7:52 p.m.

Every year, thousands of American troops die fighting for our freedom, a sobering fact that haunted Navy veteran Vaughn Roberts. Not knowing how else to express his gratitude, Roberts made it a personal mission to play taps on his trombone at all 132 Veterans Affairs national cemeteries before the 2012 presidential election.

Facts

Hear for yourself

On this link to an earlier story about Vaughn Roberts’ goal to perform taps at every national cemetery — www.ocala.com/article/20110529/ARTICLES/110529697 — click on the video at the left to hear him play the tune.

“To me, it’s freedom’s blues. During the last few years I’ve played it 100 times a month, for half an hour a day. I’ll be playing it for the rest of my life I’m sure — as long as I can stand it, I will blow the horn,” Roberts said.

Roberts’ journey started in 2009 when the traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall visited Ocala. After traveling more than 75,000 miles by air, land and sea, he completed his mission in October, with his last stop at the Puerto Rico National Cemetery.

The trip also included 25 additional sites, including state, national and Confederate battlefields and cemeteries, and three USS battleship memorials.

Gary Murphy, an Air Force veteran and Roberts’ brother-in-law, traveled to 10 national cemeteries with him in West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and St. Augustine.

Murphy said at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies near Pittsburgh, Roberts was playing at the gravesite of a Tuskegee Airman when a family visiting another gravesite overheard him. They were celebrating what would have been their son’s 20th birthday and asked Roberts to play for him, too.

“It was a pretty sad day for them, but they were very touched. Taps is history, something that has been passed down through the years. In the military you hear taps every evening and it brings back memories of fellow friends and comrades, but even for the civilian population, it means a lot to them,” Murphy said.

Ronald Hestdalen, director of the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies, said he remembers Roberts’ visit in 2010 because his mission was so unique.

“It touched me that somebody would, of their own expense and time, travel all across the U.S. to visit the cemeteries and display that kind of reverence and honor to the veterans that served the nation. I’m not aware of anyone else whose goal is to even visit all the cemeteries, let alone play taps at all of them,” Hestdalen said.

Roberts recalls many unique situations from his journey, including one from the Georgia National Cemetery. He was waiting for four funerals to finish before playing taps when a motorcycle brigade showed up for a soldier who had died in World War I. The veteran, who was cremated, never received a proper funeral.

While in Normandy, France, Roberts met a 90-year-old prison camp survivor who still remembers an American soldier picking him up, saying he would take care of him. Roberts said he still keeps in touch with the man, and has been encouraging him to write a book about his war experiences.

While traveling to the Wood National Cemetery in Milwaukee, his cab driver had a son who was soon returning from Afghanistan. After hearing his tale, the cabbie told Roberts to not only pay whatever fare he felt like, but said if he was ever in town again he could stay at his home.

“A lot of times you think people aren’t patriotic, but they really are. I didn’t have anybody that had a problem with me. It’s just people that I’ve surprised and in turn surprised me,” Roberts said.

He said he initially thought he would be done by 2010, but realized at the end of the year he wasn’t even halfway finished. With his budget already severely drained, he started selling instruments online and started a website, Taps for Troops, to help with funding. Roberts said he ended up spending $15,000 of his own money.

His sister, Marlene Warren, said he spent a lot of time at AAA trying to figure out how to spend as little money and time as possible on his trips.

“If anybody who actually had some money wanted to do it, they could have it done in six months. I really didn’t bank a whole lot in donations, it was pretty much my own gas money and staying at rinky-dink motels. I was even prepared to sleep in the car,” Roberts said.

Warren said she inherited some money, so she donated more than $20,000 when she heard Roberts worrying about how he was going to afford traveling to Hawaii, Alaska and France.

“He’s my only brother and I love him, and it’s just the two of us. I like to take cruises and to travel, but I don’t like going alone, so I told him that I would take him where he wanted to go,” Warren said.

She said they met many people along the way who encouraged Roberts to finish the job.

“People will ask if he’s been to their hometown, and I just say if there is a cemetery in your hometown, he’s been there. Just go to the website, listen to the webcasts and look at the pictures,” she said.

Murphy said friends and family members were so impressed by his level of dedication that they held a surprise party for Roberts in November.

“He was really set on it, and to pull off what he did, to me, it’s unbelievable. On one trip it was 10,000 miles, driving 500 miles a day. That’s not easy even for a young person. I don’t think you can ever do enough (for veterans), but I think what he did was above and beyond,” Murphy said.

Roberts said he had it pretty easy compared to most when he served in the Navy from 1954 to 1958 because he was able to go home nearly every weekend as a fire control technician on the Destroyer USS Witek 848.

“I grew up during World War II, and with so many funerals, I’ve seen so many widows. It must be their whole lives passing in front of them. I just wanted to thank the veterans for what their sacrifices have meant in my lifetime,” he said.

Roberts said his newfound free time will be spent writing a book about his travels. His journey is currently shared on www.tapsfortroops.com.

<p>Every year, thousands of American troops die fighting for our freedom, a sobering fact that haunted Navy veteran Vaughn Roberts. Not knowing how else to express his gratitude, Roberts made it a personal mission to play taps on his trombone at all 132 Veterans Affairs national cemeteries before the 2012 presidential election.</p><p>“To me, it's freedom's blues. During the last few years I've played it 100 times a month, for half an hour a day. I'll be playing it for the rest of my life I'm sure — as long as I can stand it, I will blow the horn,” Roberts said.</p><p>Roberts' journey started in 2009 when the traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall visited Ocala. After traveling more than 75,000 miles by air, land and sea, he completed his mission in October, with his last stop at the Puerto Rico National Cemetery.</p><p>The trip also included 25 additional sites, including state, national and Confederate battlefields and cemeteries, and three USS battleship memorials.</p><p>Gary Murphy, an Air Force veteran and Roberts' brother-in-law, traveled to 10 national cemeteries with him in West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and St. Augustine.</p><p>Murphy said at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies near Pittsburgh, Roberts was playing at the gravesite of a Tuskegee Airman when a family visiting another gravesite overheard him. They were celebrating what would have been their son's 20th birthday and asked Roberts to play for him, too.</p><p>“It was a pretty sad day for them, but they were very touched. Taps is history, something that has been passed down through the years. In the military you hear taps every evening and it brings back memories of fellow friends and comrades, but even for the civilian population, it means a lot to them,” Murphy said.</p><p>Ronald Hestdalen, director of the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies, said he remembers Roberts' visit in 2010 because his mission was so unique.</p><p>“It touched me that somebody would, of their own expense and time, travel all across the U.S. to visit the cemeteries and display that kind of reverence and honor to the veterans that served the nation. I'm not aware of anyone else whose goal is to even visit all the cemeteries, let alone play taps at all of them,” Hestdalen said.</p><p>Roberts recalls many unique situations from his journey, including one from the Georgia National Cemetery. He was waiting for four funerals to finish before playing taps when a motorcycle brigade showed up for a soldier who had died in World War I. The veteran, who was cremated, never received a proper funeral.</p><p>While in Normandy, France, Roberts met a 90-year-old prison camp survivor who still remembers an American soldier picking him up, saying he would take care of him. Roberts said he still keeps in touch with the man, and has been encouraging him to write a book about his war experiences.</p><p>While traveling to the Wood National Cemetery in Milwaukee, his cab driver had a son who was soon returning from Afghanistan. After hearing his tale, the cabbie told Roberts to not only pay whatever fare he felt like, but said if he was ever in town again he could stay at his home.</p><p>“A lot of times you think people aren't patriotic, but they really are. I didn't have anybody that had a problem with me. It's just people that I've surprised and in turn surprised me,” Roberts said.</p><p>He said he initially thought he would be done by 2010, but realized at the end of the year he wasn't even halfway finished. With his budget already severely drained, he started selling instruments online and started a website, Taps for Troops, to help with funding. Roberts said he ended up spending $15,000 of his own money.</p><p>His sister, Marlene Warren, said he spent a lot of time at AAA trying to figure out how to spend as little money and time as possible on his trips.</p><p>“If anybody who actually had some money wanted to do it, they could have it done in six months. I really didn't bank a whole lot in donations, it was pretty much my own gas money and staying at rinky-dink motels. I was even prepared to sleep in the car,” Roberts said.</p><p>Warren said she inherited some money, so she donated more than $20,000 when she heard Roberts worrying about how he was going to afford traveling to Hawaii, Alaska and France.</p><p>“He's my only brother and I love him, and it's just the two of us. I like to take cruises and to travel, but I don't like going alone, so I told him that I would take him where he wanted to go,” Warren said.</p><p>She said they met many people along the way who encouraged Roberts to finish the job.</p><p>“People will ask if he's been to their hometown, and I just say if there is a cemetery in your hometown, he's been there. Just go to the website, listen to the webcasts and look at the pictures,” she said.</p><p>Murphy said friends and family members were so impressed by his level of dedication that they held a surprise party for Roberts in November.</p><p>“He was really set on it, and to pull off what he did, to me, it's unbelievable. On one trip it was 10,000 miles, driving 500 miles a day. That's not easy even for a young person. I don't think you can ever do enough (for veterans), but I think what he did was above and beyond,” Murphy said.</p><p>Roberts said he had it pretty easy compared to most when he served in the Navy from 1954 to 1958 because he was able to go home nearly every weekend as a fire control technician on the Destroyer USS Witek 848.</p><p>“I grew up during World War II, and with so many funerals, I've seen so many widows. It must be their whole lives passing in front of them. I just wanted to thank the veterans for what their sacrifices have meant in my lifetime,” he said.</p><p>Roberts said his newfound free time will be spent writing a book about his travels. His journey is currently shared on www.tapsfortroops.com.</p>